Balling-machine.



A. E. RHOADES.

BALLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. 1914.

1,177,574. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

.MHUIIWIII Witnesses. Inventor.

Ma -w Alonzo ERhoddes.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

ALONZO E. RHOADES, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPER COM- I PANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION; OF MAINE.

BALLING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALONZO E. RHoAnEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Balling-Machines, of which the following description, in'connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has to do with balling machines such for example as are described in my prior Patent No. 815,378 granted'March 20, 1906, and the object of the invention is to provide a signal and effect the operation of the signal upon the actuation of the'automatic stopping mechanism.

In chain warping the warp threads usu-. ally pass from spools in the usual creel through the regular warper which is provided with a stop motion and thence pass to the floor stand which is located at a con siderable distance from the warper. The warp ends are brought together in a trumpet on the fioor stand and carried in chain form over and around a pulley, and thence backward to a transverse guide which winds the chain into a ball. The pulley drives a clock mechanism to measure the yarn, and means are provided to effect automatically the stoppage of the machine when a predetermined length of warp has been measured. The warp is drawn through the warper and balling machine by the usual driven rolls which frictionally engage and rotate the ball of warp. When the machine is automatically stopped it is frequently difficult for the attendant to recognize the cause of the stoppage, that is, whether it'is due to the action of the warp stop motion upon the breakage of a single warp end or whether it is due to the completion of the measured amount of the chain. The balling machine being at a relatively long distance from the warper the attendant has to pass from one to the other and examine the conditions to ascertain what has happened, and not infrequently the attendant will set the warper or balling machine into operation in order to ascertain what caused the stoppage. This all results in loss of time, and not infrequently in inaccurate measurement of the arp j V v I This invention provides a signal prefer- Fig. 1. 4

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Liar 28, 1916. Application filed May 22, 1914. Serial No. 840,345. A

ably a visual signal the operation of which is effected, as by the signal being thrown into view, upon the stopping of the balling machine effected by the automatic stopping mechanism at the completion of the predetermined measured amount. When the machine stops the operator is at once advised Y if the signal is in view' that the stoppage improvement arises in the provision of V a means for readily and manually releasing the usual cooperating finger from the scroll of the measuring mechanism in order to set or adjust the machine.

The invention. will more fully appear from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly set forth in the claims.

The drawings show somuch of a warper and balling machine of the type disclosed in my aforesaid patent together'with the additions comprising a preferred form of the present invention as is necessary to an understanding of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the head and upper portion of the standard of the balling machine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a detail showing the means to move the signalto indicating position; 7

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the arm, handle and fork for operating the finger 18 shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a warper and balling machine to show the general relation of the parts. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the scroll and attached worm gear shown in The warper proper A with its stop motion controlled by the drop wires B, theball C of chain warp, and the rolls D for frictionally engaging and rotating it are shown only diagrammatically because they are all well known-and common, and not necessary to illustrate in detail in connection with this invention. Only the upper portion of the balling machine 15' shown in full detail and the standard 1, the open head 2, the pulley 3 journaled on the shaft 1 in' the head, the

trumpet 5 for collecting the warp, ends into worm wheel 8 on the horizontal shaft 9. The shaft 9 is provided at its opposite end with a pinion 10 which through intermediate gears 11 and 12 drives the horizontal shaft 13 provided with a worm 14. This in 'turn drives a worm gear 15 having connected with it or forming a part thereof the scroll 16 provided, at the end of the scroll groove with the deep slot 17 all as described in detail in m f aforesaid Jatent. A fin er 18 slidabl'y mounted on a rod 19 parallel to the axis of rotation of the scroll 16 travels in the scroll groove and'is held therein by the elongated head 20 of the weighted arm The scroll 16, finger 18, worm gear 15 and worm 14 form an automatic stop mechanism as set forth in my aforesaid. patent.

When it is desired to setthe machine to measure a predetermined amount of warp the arm 21 is swung to one side to permit the withdrawal of the finger from the scroll and the finger is slid along on the shaft 19 and dropped into such a point in the scroll groove that when the finger by its travel reaches the end ofthe scroll and drops into apparatusshown diagrammatically in Fig.v

4 the drop wires B and the arm 22 both operate the same stop motion, the former acting when a warp end breaks and the latter acting when a predetermined amount of warp has been measured oif. But as this mechanism is all old and familiar, it is only here illustrated diagrammatically.

The signal, which is'here employed to indicate the actuation of the automatic stopping mechanism is of a visual type and is herein shown as a ball 2% carried on a rod 25 and normally in an obscure position such as shown'in full lines. When the automatic stop mechanism is actuated upon. thev completi on of a predetermined length of chain the signal is thrown into view, as for example into theposition indicatedin dotted lines.-

In this form of construction the pulley shaft a carries a worm 7 engaging a A preferred form of means for effecting the operation of the signal and moving it to indicating position is illustrated. The

bracket 26 is rigidly secured at 27 tothe= frame of the machine. The upwardly proecting arm of this bracket carries a stub shaft 28 forming the pivot for the end of the signal arm 25. A downwardly projecting arm of the bracket carries a secondstub shaft 29 forming the pivot for a lever 30. This bracket at its lowermost point has also pivoted thereto on a third stub shaft 31 a lever 32 provided at its free endwith a handle 33 and having midway of its length a forked portion projecting laterally from the lever and embracing the arm 22. The leverf opposite end to a head 39 on the stub shaft 28 acts normally to move or'swing the signal into upright or indicating position. lVhen the balling machine is in operation and the finger 18'is traveling in the scroll groove 16';

the parts are in the position shown in full linein F 1 with the signal in obscure pos1t1on-.. W'hen thefinger 18 reaches the end 7 of the'scroll groove thus indicating the completion of the measured quantity of warp its;

end drops into the open groove 17 thus through the connections already referredto automatically stopping the warper. But this operation moves or swings down the arm'22 which through: its'engagement with the fork 3+1 in turn swings down the lever 32.which through the link connection 35 rocks the lever 30 causing the left hand end v of the lever to rise and consequently the flexible connector to allow the signal under the influence of the spring 38 to move to in" dicating position, herein shown in dotted line. aware thatthe stopping of the warper due to the actuation of thestopping. mechanism at the completion of the measurement of the predetermined length of warp.-

The handle 33 ofthe lever 32 already described forms a simple and eiiicie'nt manual means for setting or re-setting the'finger at the desired point in the scroll. W'ith one hand the attendant grasps the handle 33, with the other hand swings the arm 2-1 out of the way, and thus the operation of settingor re setting is readily'performed.

While a visual'signal has been shown as I an embodiment of theinvention, and while a partlcular means has been" illustrated for operating the signal the invention isinot to be limited thereto, nor further than required Thus the attendant-becomes at- Once by the claims which set forth the breadth of the invention.

The operation of the machine will be aparent from the foregoing description. lVhen the machine stops the operator who may then be in attendance upon the warper located at a relatively long distance from the balling machine has then to glance only at the signal 24. If the stopping of the machine has occurred due to the breakage of an end one of the drop wires B will have directly actuated the stopping mechanism of the warper in the usual and familiar manner, and consequently there will have been no movement of. the finger 18 out of the scroll groove 16, and consequently the signal 24 will not have been raised but will remain in lowered position. The operator will therefore know at once as the result of a glance that the stoppage is due to breakage of an end. If, however, the stoppage is due to the completion of the measurement of a predetermined amount of warp then the finger 18 will have moved out of the scroll groove 16 actuating the stop motion mechanism of the warper through the connection 23 and will at the same time through the arm 22, fork 34, lever 32, link connection 35 lever 30, flexible connector 37, sector 36 and under the influence of the spring 38 cause the signal 24 to move into upright position where it is readily seen by the operator. The operator will then by a mere glance know that the stoppage has been caused by the completion of the measurement of the predetermined amount of warp.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, means for automatically stopping the machine at the completion of the passage of a predetermined length of warp, including a scroll and cooperating finger, a movable arm engaging said finger, a movable visual signal, connections between said signal and said arm whereby the signal is thrown to indicating position upon the movement of the finger out of the scroll to stop the machine.

2. In a machine of the character described means for automatically stopping the machine at the completion of the passage of a predetermined length of warp including a scroll and cooperating finger, a movable arm engaging said finger and provided with a handle portion, a movable visual signal, connections between said signal and said arm to throw the signal to indicating position upon the movement of the finger out of the scroll means for automatically stopping the machine at the completion of the passage of a predetermined length of Warp including a scroll and a cooperating finger moved by said scroll and adjustable as to the point of commencement of its movement whereby the length of warp is predetermined, a pivoted arm engaging said finger, a pivotally supported visual signal, a sector concentric with the pivotal axis of the signal and movable with the signal, a spring normally acting to swing the signal to indicating position, a lever, a flexible connection between one end of said lever and said sector and a connection between the other end of said lever and said movable arm whereby the signal is thrown to indicating position upon the movement of the finger out of the scroll to stop the machine.

l. In a machine of the character described, a warper with its driven rolls, a balling machine located at a relatively long distance from the warper, a stop motion mechanism, means for actuating the stop motion'mechanism upon the breaking of a warp end in the warper, means for actuatin the stop motion mechanism carried by the balling machine and actuated upon the completion of the passage of a predetermined length of warp, a signal, and means to efiect the operation of the signal upon the actuation of the stop motion mechanism due to the completion of the passage of a predetermined length of warp.

the movement of the signal into indicatingposition upon the actuation of the stop mo tion mechanism carried by the balling machine.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALONZO E. RHOADES. Witnesses:

FRANK B. DAVIS, DANA Oseoon.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

